A Bunch o’ Boobs at the FDA

Honestly, if the FDA approves silicone breast implants that have been proven to be safe, I don’t have a problem with it. No surgery is without its risks. Women deserve accurate information about the risks surrounding breast implants and all other medical procedures, elective or not. But it is wrong to block the approval of silicone implants if they’re reasonably safe (although let it be noted that I realize the current situation is more complicated than that, with a lot of big-money interests involved; I also certainly take offense to their appropriating of pro-choice terminology to further what is ultimately an anti-feminist cause).

The FDA’s approval of silicone implants just draws further attention to their hypocrisy when it comes to women’s reproductive health. It’s ridiculous for them to block approval of Plan B, which is overwhelmingly safe — certainly safer than Viagra, which sailed through its FDA approval. And since I inexplicably didn’t write about it before, let me take this moment to give a big middle finger to Gov. Pataki for vetoeing a common-sense emergency contraception bill.

Pataki’s far from the worst governor ever – but he definitely deserves the middle finger for his contrived and calculated veto. Flippantly disregarding millions of women’s access to plan b just to build up capital for a truely hopeless presidential bid is despicable, but there’s been worse.